Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will need a new contract at the end of the 2026-27 season, and GM Joe Sakic feels confident that both sides will get a deal done in the near future. What will Makar's next contract look like?
As one of the NHL's best defenseman, Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar has few peers. That makes it extremely difficult to predict what he'll be making on his next contract.
In a recent interview with NHL.com, Avalanche GM Joe Sakic discussed Makar’s future in Denver, sounding confident about where their negotiations currently stand.
“I'm not worried about it,” Sakic said of Makar’s contract status. “I don't think Cale's worried about it. Dialogue has been great and when there's an agreement, we'll gladly announce it. Hopefully something will be done before the start of training camp.”
Makar is entering the final season of a five-year deal with the Avalanche. Throughout the span of that contract, he's won two Norris Trophies along with a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Stanley Cup.
Sakic has created a culture with the Avalanche that asks players to take less than market value. It’s the reason why Makar’s current contract, which is paying him $9 million per season, is one of the NHL’s biggest bargains.
As much as maintaining that culture is important to the Avalanche, Makar’s next contract could easily double that dollar amount.
If he insisted on signing for the full 20 percent of the salary cap, which is the maximum amount a player can earn under the current CBA, he could be making approximately $20.9 million per season.
However, it's unlikely that he'll end up signing a contract close to that amount. It's much more reasonable to believe that Makar’s next deal will be team-friendly.
Given that Sakic was able to get superstar center Nathan MacKinnon on a contract that pays him $12.5 million per season for the next five years, it’ll be hard for both sides to justify a contract that pays, even say, $18 million a year.
Makar is in his prime, and he deserves to be one of the NHL’s highest-paid players. But for the Avalanche to ice the most-competitive team, they’ll want their veterans to take less money than they could get on the open market. Sakic was able to keep Makar’s salary lower than market value with his current deal, and it's hard to see that changing.
It's far more likely that the 27-year-old and the Avalanche end up closer to an eight-year extension with an AAV in the range of $15 million to $16 million. If Chicago Blackhawks D-man Bowen Byram is earning $12.5 million per season, Makar deserves considerably more.
Makar could ask for the moon and the stars, and Sakic would have no choice but to to meet his demands. But Sakic’s comments indicate both sides will feel happy with the final financial result here.
There's no question that Makar is a cornerstone for the Avalanche, and they can't even let him consider leaving. At the same time, they'll look to him for leadership in the financial part of the negotiations in order to set an example for the franchise.
Taking less would send a message to not only the rest of the Avalanche players, but the rest of the league, while keeping the team's competitive window wide open.
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